Woman&#39;s undergarment.



E. EMMERS. WOMANS UNDERGARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21,1914.

1,139,652. Patgnted May18,1915.

I II H THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D c

EDWARD EMMERS, OF ROYERSFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

woman's UNDERGARMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed April 21, 1914. Serial in. 833,363.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, EDWARD EMMnRs, citizen of the United States, and resident of Royersford, county of Montgomery, and

State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Womens Undergarments, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of low-necked knitted undergarment for womens use, which shall have capacity for independent adjustment of the bust and back portions, so that the garment may be readily adapted to suit the requirements of the wearer. In undergarments formed of knitted fabric,the great transverse elasticity of the fabric is restricted in a material degree about the upper edge when out low, by the employment of a lace binding or edging through which drawing ribbons or tapes may be passed, but this does not of itself meet the requirements of adjustment to suit the different bust measures of women having the same width of back, or for those cases where with the same shoulder width the persons differ both in bust and back in corpulency. By having a garment capable of independent adjustment at front and back, a less number of sizes will be necessary to meet the trades requirements and this is important from the manufacturers point of View.

My improved undergarment consists of the body having no neck portion but provided with shoulder straps formed of lace or open work and separating the bust and back portions from the arm portions, said arm portions being bounded with a lace selvage which extends into the shoulder straps; and said bust and back portions having their upper edge bounded by open or bar lace which connect at either side to form the shoulder straps, said straps united with the tapes may be tied to adjust the width of the back portion.

My invention also comprehends details of construction which, together with the features above specified, will be better understood by reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a womans undergarment, embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view diagrammatically illustrating the arrangement of the ribbons or tapes and the means for securing them to the shoulder straps; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the top of one of the shoulder straps.

2 is the body of the garment and is made of knitted fabric preferably of the usual ribbed tubular fabric; 3 are the shoulder straps; 4: are the arm holes; .5 is the lownecked bust or front portion; and 6 is the low back portion. The front and back portions '5 and 6 are bound with open lace edging 7 which unites to form the shoulder straps 3. The straps are also made up of the lace edging 8 which is employed as a finish to the arm holes, said lace being preferably less yielding than the open lace edging 7. Drawing ribbons or tapes 10 and 13 are threaded through the open lace work edging and of these the tape 10 provides a back end 1 1 and a front end 12, and tape 13 provides a back end 14 and a front end 15. The tape ends 11 and 14 are tied together at the back to secure the proper adjustment of the back portion 6, and likewise the tape ends 12 and 15 are tied together to secure the proper adjustment of the bust portion 5. The middle portions of the tapes 10 and 13 are respectively secured to the shoulder straps 3 inthe mannerhereinafter described, so that the pull upon the back tape ends 11 and 12 will not affect the bustportion of the garment, and a pull upon the tape ends 12 and 15 will not affect the back portion of the garment.

The arm holes at their lower parts are not provided with drawing ribbons or tapes, because what adjustment is required may be fully provided for by the front and back ribbons or tapes, 11, 12, 13 and 14. In my improved undergarment, I secure the tapes 10 and 13 to the top of the shoulder straps 3 by use of reinforcing bars 16 which are stitched to the shoulder straps at 18 and to which the ribbons or tapes 10 and 13 are 7 l0 and 13 are sewed at 17 to the bars 16 nearer to one side than the other, and the bar is also preferably sewed to the lace of the shoulder straps at each side of the tape,

namely at 18 and 19. While I have shown one continuous ribbon or tape for each pair of ends, it is to be understood that separate tapes for front and back may be sewed to the bars 16, if so desired, By the construction shown,'a pull upon. the tape ends acts to holdthe shoulder straps 3 well up over the shoulders; and any tightening of the bust is not transmitted to the back, and conversely, any tightening of the back does not I affect the front or bust portion of the garment. This arrangement for independent adjustment of front and backis especially advantageous where the bust portion has a lace insertion as at '9' allowing of special fullness, which-would fall'away and droop if proper provision is not had in the use of the tape ends 12 and Eat front, independentlyof the tension on the back tape ends 11 and 15.

In case the undergarment is to be worn,

I with a low necked dress, then the shoulder straps 3 are moved down under the arms and V the four ends of the tapes 10. and 13 are carefully adjusted and tied to give the proper tension to the upper edge of the garment, which may be necessary for the de- 7 back and bust portions, the combination of sired effect.

It will further be understood, that while I prefer to extend the front and back tape ends to the top of the shoulder straps for attachment thereto through the bars 16, they may be securely attached to the shoulder straps in any other suitable manner.

A garment of this kind is capablelof adjustment to such an extent that it may be 7 adapted for use of both thin and stout perback and bust portions, the combination of sons and hence embodies the advantage that fewer sizes will be necessary to suit all sizes of persons'than where independent front and back adjustments are not possible. While I have shown my improved gar ment in the form preferred, the details thereof may be modified withoutldeparting from the spirit of the invention.

Havingnow described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an undergarment. having low-cut the body part provided with shoulder straps formed with open work edging which also extends along the upper edges of the back and bust portions, with two drawing tapes for the backand two drawing tapes for the bust, said tapes threaded through the open work edging of the shoulder straps and bust and back portions, and in which one of the 7 back tapes and one of the bust tapes are secured to one of the shoulder straps and the other back and bust tapes are secured to the other shoulder strap and in which further,

the free ends of the two bust tapes are ad-' justably secured togetherv for adjusting the width of the bust portion of the garment adjustably' secured together for adjusting the width of'the back portion of the garment, whereby the width of both the back and the bust portions may be independently adjusted and the adj ustment of the one shall not affect the adjustment of the other.

' 2. In an undergarment having low-cut back and bust portions, the combination of the body part provided with shoulder straps formed with open work edgingwhich also extends along the upper edges of the back and bust portions, with two tapes respectively threaded through the openwork edging of the shoulder straps and a portion of the back and bust whereby said tapes pro- ;vide four'free'endsflwofor thebust portion I and two for the backportiomsaid ends at the bust portion being adjustably tied to ad just the width of thebust portion of the garment and the ends at the back portion being adjustably tied to adjust thewidth of the back portion of the garment, and means for securing the tapes against being shifted, longitudinally from the back' portion tothe bust portion or vice versa.

3. In an undergarment having low-cut the body part provided with shoulder straps formed with open work edging which also extends along the upper edges of the back and bust portions, with two tapes respectively threaded through the open} work edg for securing the tapes against being shifted longitudinally from the back portion to, the bust portion or vice versa, said means consisting of fabric bars secured to the shoulder strapsby stitching to form anchoringpieces and said barsnalso 'firmlystitched to the tapes whereby said tapes cannot be shifted longitudinally through the shoulder straps.

4. In an undergarment having low-cut back and bust portions and suitable armholes and the said back and bust portions.

having open lace edging, combined with two and the two free ends of the back tapes are drawing tapes for the bust portion providthrough the lace edging, whereby the bust ing two free ends at the front and two drawportion and the back portion may he indeings tapes for the back portion providing pendently adjusted as to width. two free ends at the back, said drawing tapes In testimony of which invention, I here- 5 threaded Ehrough the open-work lame edging unto set my hand. I

with the ree ends brought into a jaeent relation in pairs at front and back and ad- EDWARD EMMERS' justably tied at said portions of the gar- Witnesses: ment and said tapes held at the arm-hole U. S. G. FINKBINER,

10 portions against being drawn longitudinally CLARA FREY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. G. Y 

